You see a disease that knows no color or socioeconomic status.
When your father has dementia, you’re forced to put things into perspective. You no longer care about the petty concerns of society. You just want your father’s mind to come back.
You gag when you see media that give false promises. You want to spit every time someone touts a “be positive” mindset. You know that won’t cure dementia.
You know dementia can’t be cured by any “Law of Attraction.” You just want to scratch the eyes out of people who don’t live in this reality.
You roll your eyes when you see headlines like, “3 Ways to Be Happy…
Inner silence can bridge divides.
In a world that tells us that we need to be heard, we need to be right, or we need to belong, there is a different world deep beneath.
This world needs no identity. This world doesn’t cling to an ideology that might be obsolete in 100 years. This world leaves behind all attachments to the ego.
This is the world of inner silence. It’s not a world beyond sound. It’s a space beyond the noise. It’s the void before an utterance. It is the muse that inspires words of peace.
When I “try” to think of something deep or…
Beware of the ‘certification’ sales pitch.
I just spent one hour of my life listening to a sales pitch from a reputable well-being company. It was a “free” webinar telling me I could “live the life of my dreams” by being a well-being coach.
It told me things I already knew — that well-being was about balancing the mind, body and spirit. The webinar promised me I could learn from all of these other certified teachers under this company’s name and gain worldwide recognition by tying myself to this brand.
And I swear, if the woman touched her chest one more time, I was going to…
God is everywhere, but we’re not looking.
I see so many young people, even people my age, focused on their digital devices. Walking through a store, waiting for someone, we don’t like being disconnected from our technology. There’s always something new, and we don’t want to miss out.
Even when we’re with others, we’re wondering who is texting us. We’re wondering who’s looking at our social media post.
I sit here and watch my dog on the couch. His eyes are heavy as he drifts off to sleep, but if I make any move, he opens them to see what I’m going to do. He’s just content…
The voyage of self-discovery sets sail in solitude.
Oprah Winfrey admitted to sociologist Martha Beck that she didn’t enjoy watching movies with Steadman. Although she looked forward to spending time with him, she became unnerved when he would fall asleep during the movie. She would always wind up watching the movie alone.
I thought, what was wrong with that? I love watching movies alone because I don’t have to worry about whether or not others are enjoying it. And if I’m not enjoying it, I can always turn it off without upsetting another. I also don’t feel embarrassed watching it again and again like my six-year-old self.
Although…
Writing is a great outlet for our emotions, especially when we don’t publish it.
One of my favorite episodes of Seinfeld saw George being mocked for devouring his lunch. He was so stricken in shame that it left him searching for the right comeback. On his way home from the office, he ruminated over and over until he found the perfect one. He couldn’t wait to set up a new scenario where he could get back at his colleague.
How often do we do this?
I, myself, used to hold so much conflict in some interpersonal situations that I would run home and re-write them, making me the “victor.” Words — fueled by my…
I've had to "shut up" many times in the classroom. The heat doesn't come from administration--it comes from the students. My evaluations tell me that students don't want to hear people who disagree with them--from the right or the left.
There are so many--TOO MANY--assumptions of how college professors are "indoctrinating" students. To be honest, we're not that influential. In reality, many aren't really paying attention. It's mostly the outliers that are causing the stir.
I want students to be free to express their opinions--just as long as they're informed ones.
What drives us can lead to pain or resilience.
As first responders pulled Tiger Woods’ car from the ditch, the newscasters mulled over Woods’ future as a professional golfer. They recalled his various back and knee surgeries, his age, and his “bad luck.”
They underestimate the power of the human ego…and the human spirit.
When people tell you that you can’t, your ego and your spirit will tell you that you can. Both give you the necessary drive to accomplish goals. …
It’s a path that requires endurance.
One of the managers at work declared she wanted to run the Boston Marathon by the age of 30. She had done a little bit of research, knowing that she would have to qualify for it by running another marathon in three and a half hours. She did the calculations, which meant running the 26.2-mile distance at an 8-minute pace.
“I can run a mile in 8:30,” she said. “I can shave that down.”
I was slightly jealous because I knew my 10-minute training pace often broke down to a 10:30 pace in the marathon.
She asked if she could…
The Power of Zero can be a motivator
My friend, a high school teacher, was telling me her latest frustrations of the changing tide of education. She was told that she needed to accept late work until the end of the term, which meant grading papers, projects, or homework up to three months late.
For students who did no work at all, she was supposed to record their grade as a 50 rather than a zero. Why? Because a zero would make the student “lose motivation.”
In three or four years, I’ll see these students in my class. Although I don’t accept work later than five days past…
